Tax Credits Overpayments - What should I do if I think the overpayment was not my fault?

If you think that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) made a mistake or gave you the wrong advice and that led to the overpayment, you can dispute recovery of the overpayment. 

You can dispute the recovery of the overpayment by:

Filling in form TC846 Tax Credits Overpayment (PDF file size 182kb), or
Writing to HMRC at Overpayments Dispute Team, Tax Credit Office, HMRC, BX9 1ER.

If you decide to dispute an overpayment by writing to the tax credit office, make sure you include the following details:

• Your full name and contact address.
• Your national insurance number .
• The date of the overpayment decision you are disputing.
• When the overpayment is said to have happened - the tax year or period.
• Why you are disputing the overpayment - detail any actions you have taken or contact you have made to make sure your award is correct, also detail the mistakes HMRC have made or the advice they gave you that led to the overpayment, include dates and names where possible.
• Your signature.

Time limit

You have up to three months from the date you were sent the decision that you have been overpaid to dispute recovery of that overpayment. This is usually when you receive your final award notice for the year.

Reviewed: August 2022